Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’erh
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
The Honeysuckle pu-erh tea delivers a deep red infusion with a sweet woodsy, floral aroma. The finished brew is mild and earthy, with a lingering hint of honeysuckle. This honeysuckle tea can be steeped multiple times in a sitting without becoming bitter. This particular pu-erh is cooked and has been aged for about 4-6 years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The urge to drink Pu’erh comes and goes with me, perhaps largely because I initially found it a very acquired taste. Even though I’ve now tried a significant variety of different Pu’erhs, I still feel that I’m learning about the variety and discovering new things. This tea, for instance. I’ve never tried a floral Pu’erh before, or any variety flavoured with honeysuckle, come to that. It’s a real first! I treated this one as I would generally treat a loose-leaf Pu’erh, using 1 tsp of leaf in boiling water. I tend to vary the brew time based on the individual tea and the strength/scent/liquor colour, but went with a fairly standard (for me) 1 minute this time. The resulting liquor is a medium red-brown. The scent once brewed, and while brewing, is very evidently a Pu’erh – it has quite pungent manure notes!
To taste, this has to be one of the most unique Pu’erhs I’ve tried so far. I was expecting a fairly standard earthy/manure flavour based purely on the scent, but it’s actually nothing like that. Instead, there’s an initial almost-sharpness, which blossoms into a heavy, sweet, nectar like floral. Honeysuckle! There are virtually no earth or manure flavours to be found, which is a big surprise. The sweetness seems very natural, and isn’t at all overpowering. I think it’s helped by a sort of yogurt-like note which contributes a cool, tangy freshness to the overall cup.
I really like this one. I’m definitely the kind of person that objects to strong manure flavours in their tea, although I don’t mind earthiness at all. This one is pretty unique amongst those I’ve tried in that it has no earth or manure notes (despite the scent). The flavouring is sufficiently strong that the honeysuckle is front and centre pretty much the whole time, although as it cools this does dissipate a little to reveal just a hint of what lurks beneath. I’m pretty sure a fairly conservative brew time helped here – a longer one might herald more of a “traditional” Pu’erh flavour. I personally like the honeysuckle, though, so I’ll always err on the side of caution when brewing this one. It’s an outstandingly flavourful cup!
Organic Herbal Tea ~ Homegrown ~ Nectar Blend from heartfeltMenagerie
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: heartfeltMenagerie
Tea Description:
Organic Herbal Tea, homegrown and carefully hand blended to please the palette and soothe the soul. The healing herbs used in this blend are powerful allies in protecting and alleviating cold/flu illness, high blood pressure, indigestion, stress relief, and respiratory illness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have really bad allergies. I take over the counter medication for it because that seems to work the best. I seem to have really bad side effects when I am prescribed something. I have always been curious about herbs and how they help people with different ailments. I researched a little bit and found that stinging nettle can be used as a anti-histamine. I took a gander around and stumbled upon an adorable store on Etsy that sold a stinging nettle tea and tulsi (which also aids with sinus issues). Worked with the owner to tweak a few things on my order and away I went.
This is a different blend. I can’t say I have had a lot of the herbs in this tea before. Tulsi, anise hyssop, lemon verbena, stinging nettles, and roselle hibiscus. The tea itself has a savory smell and taste to it. It made me think of a pasta dish like Italian Seasoning or a savory pasta dish??? This stumped me as well. Can’t say that I have ever had a tea remind me of something like this before. Vegetal? Sure. Malty with dark chocolate notes? Absolutely. Just not pasta. I swear it tastes like my boyfriend’s amazing lasagna.
I don’t really get any sweetness out of the tea and with a name like Nectar Blend you would think there would be a sweetness to the tea. I drink a lot of chamomile and herbal teas. This one took me by surprise. Regardless I am still enjoying the tea. I guess the savory side of this just is throwing me off a bit.
I might add in some honey and will see what happens then or maybe even something like sea salt to see what other savory flavors pop.
And to the medicinal side of this particular herbal blend. . . .I haven’t noticed anything yet but I can say that drinking this tea has been a fun experience and I look forward to more time with it.
Crimson Nectar from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Company Description:
A vibrant, fruity, hibiscus-based herbal with a naturally sweet and surprisingly buttery finish. A limited edition holiday tea.
Taster’s Review:
Of the five teas that are included in the Winter Collection, this one is my least favorite. It’s the hibiscus. I just think that there is way too much of it in this blend, and I’m not particularly fond of hibiscus.
That being said, this tea isn’t that bad. Or, at least, not as bad as I thought it would be. The trick with this one is to not let it steep too long (because then the hibiscus becomes very thick and tart), serve it cold and to use an ample dollop of honey to sweeten it. (Or perhaps you might use this tisane to make a holiday “punch” – just add some ginger ale!)
The honey serves two purposes, really. It not only curbs some of the tartness of the hibiscus, but it also adds some definition to the overall cup. With the honey in there, I can taste the lovely apple and citrus notes.
And then there is the buttery finish. Yes, I get some tart that lingers on the tongue, but, there is also a sweet, creamy buttery taste in the finish … which nicely offsets the tartness. It’s really quite pleasant, and perhaps the one thing that keeps me sipping this tisane.
As I said, this is not my favorite tisane and probably not one that I’d buy on its own, but it is certainly not so bad that I would choose not to buy a collection just because it happens to be part of that collection. And I know that there are those people who have a greater appreciation for tart teas … this is the tea for you!
